THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The next time you visit Varkala, chances are you may spot a foreign tourist atop a coconut tree checking out some freshly-tapped ‘neera’ (sap of the coconut palm). Before you conclude it is about foreigners slowly taking over local jobs, think again. The tourist is here only to get some first-hand experience of village life.Thanks to a novel initiative named ‘Kera Park’, tourists to Varkala would not only be shown a slew of products derived from coconut tree but also given the chance to be a part of the traditional processes - be it coconut harvesting, coir spinning or extraction of coconut oil.
The initiative has the firm backing of the state Tourism Department with Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran launching the venture the other day.The ‘Kera Park’ is the brainchild of Kollam-based entrepreneur Rajeev Fernandez. It was his trip to Australia last year that threw open before him the immense possibilities of wooing tourists through indigenous livelihood experiences. During a visit to a woollen blanket manufacturing facility, Rajeev and other tourists literally ‘lived the village life’.
They were given the chance to be involved in the entire process right from sheep shearing to weaving of hand-made woollen blankets. “The experience gave me the idea of starting a similar venture in the state and what better to showcase before the visitors than the coconut tree which is called the ‘kalpavriksham’ as every part of the tree is useful,” said Rajeev.
Though foreigners are curious to know about the various products manufactured from the coconut tree, giving them the chance to do it themselves is a unique experience, he said. For those tourists who find climbing a coconut tree a tough task, an elevated platform has been erected for their convenience. A slew of handicrafts made from coconut have also been put up for the visitors.
At present, the Excise Department has given nod to only a few entities to tap ‘neera’, which can be fermented to produce toddy. Rajeev hopes the newly-released tourism policy would relax the norms on ‘neera’ tapping for the tourism sector. The Tourism Department says such initiatives should be promoted as it would help woo the modern-day tourist, who prefers unique experiences more than mere sight-seeing. “We’re monitoring how such ventures are being welcomed by tourists.
If the ‘Kera Park’ model works out well, we’ll examine the possibility of replicating it in various destinations,” Tourism Director P Bala Kiran said. According to him, the Tourism Department’s future campaigns would focus on promoting such experiences. “The hackneyed backwater-beach campaign will make way for unique experiences that highlight the state’s culture, tradition and local wisdom,” he said.